Nov 29 Little Profiles

In 2015 we started Little Profiles to document the amazing women surrounding us, navigating the hectic streets of London on two wheels. After a brief hiatus (just over 2 years!) of other life business Little Profiles is back to celebrate women who cycle. This time we’re taking things global and we’ll be sharing stories of women from all around the world. From casual commuter to serious racer and everything in between - we want to know who they are and why they ride.

Tell us a little about yourself -I ride for a cycling team called the North London Thunder Cats Black Metal Bicycle Club, or NLTCBMBC for short. It involves bike racing and lots of pizza! By day I'm an events manager at Rapha, a cycling apparel company.

Why do you cycle - I cycle because it can be anything you want it to be – the quickest way from A to B, a social event, a race or a meditative place to lose your thoughts alone. But mainly it's so I can beat guys on fancy road bikes up hills while wearing a skirt!

Tell us a little about yourself - I'm a terribly exotic Kiwi and English blend. My hobbies include sarcasm, loitering on Broadway market, denim shorts and Gin. I'm a fixie skidder around East London and I ride track for VeloPussy (Velociposse Cycling).

Why do you cycle -I heard a rumour that cyclists make better lovers, and I was sick of having a disposable income.

Tell us a little about yourself -I come from a place that is more east than East London (Lithuania neck of woods). Been notoriously riding the streets of big smoke for good two years. A hip hop head since early days - I refuse to listen to Drake and think that trap is for the youths of Dalston. You can normally find me doing laps around Regent's Park with East London Fixed, chilling in London Fields with a bottle of organic cider or vibing at Koko to the sounds of Soulection.

Why do you cycle - It all started with dating a guy with two nice fixed gear builds and getting a decent bike through a cycle scheme. The rest is history! Now riding is everything to me - from commuting and social events, to more serious training and track racing. Most importantly, I ride to stay sane in this crazy world.

Tell us a little about yourself -I'm Alex. I look after the press, events, and social media tings for Look mum no hands! The story I always tell is that I grew up on a tandem. My dad and me used to ride to school. All the other kids used to take the piss and sing Queen at me.

Why do you cycle - I ride because I love the bicycle as a machine. It's a free and fun form of transport. I don't need to sign up to the gym. I get home quicker. If I feel like shit, a bike ride always sorts me out. When I see a big line of bikes on the way to Old Street in the morning it always put a big smile on my face. There is no other way I want to get around.

Tell us a little about yourself -"Type A patients have been observed as being unable to sit in their seats for long and wore out the chairs. They tended to sit on the edge of the seat and leaped up frequently. What was unusual was that the chairs were worn down on the front edges of the seats and armrests instead of on the back areas, which would have been more typical. They were as tense as racehorses at the gate"

Tell us a little about yourself -I'm Celeste and I'm a cycling coach from South London. I'm involved with race organising, promoting cycling for women and girls, and early years cycling for kids. I race a bit of track and cyclocross on the side.

Why do you cycle -I ride my bike because I love it! It helps me get fit and it pushes me out of my comfort zone. I ride with my clubmates from VC Londres and we have a great time together, on and off the bike.

Tell us a little about yourself - My day job is in Teaching Admissions at UCL. Outside work I ride with NLTCBMBC, it's mostly track riding and fixed crits for me at the moment but other teammates race road, cross and TTs, the team also organises some great races.

Why do you cycle? - Escapism. Cycling is like mindfulness, it's easy to relax when you're just focusing on riding whether it's on the track or out in the lanes. I think I'd go crazy if I couldn't ride my bike.

Tell us a little about yourself -I’m a health and fitness professional who honestly finds it hard to be motivated to be active! So I look for adventures to keep me on track and blog about them along with everything else fitness, food, kit and events related!

Why do you cycle -Cycling is something that I just do for myself. As a kid, two wheels were my freedom and created a ton of adventures for me. I didn’t even realise until about 6 years ago that cycling was something you could do as an adult so once I started commuting I realised there were a ton of other ways to enjoy being on two wheels!

Tell us a little about yourself -I’m Kell (or as my better half prefers, Kelly-Jayne), an adventure cyclist trying to ride all of the bikes. On the hunt for some nice flow and a bit of tech on some adrenaline pumping descents and beautiful views. I’ve been opting outside since 1991 and avoiding a 9-5 for what feels like even longer. Supported by a bunch of great independent brands. Usually seen aboard my Cotic Rocket, Nell with my pooch Bell with a big smile on my face.

Why do you cycle -For the love of the escapism it offers, meeting awesome folk and banking some sweet memories. I love the feeling you get after you’ve sweated up some monster mountain and reached the top ready for the laugh back down.

Tell us a little about yourself -I’m Matilda - a writer, creative and founder of Fly Girl Collective, a women-focused project that encourages and celebrates diversity in fitness.

Why do you cycle -Fitness-wise, cycling has always been my first love. I even remember learning how to ride my first bike when I was around 6 years old. Nowadays, cycling is how I commute around London - but it never feels like a slog (compared to taking the tube). It’s a hobby and lovely way to get from A to B. That fact that it’s exercise doesn’t hurt either.

Tell us a little about yourself - I’m an accessories designer & writer obsessed with colour. Rainbows are my favourite thing. I have an internal roaming satellite detector set to “spectrum” to find cosmic iridescent surprises in the everyday unexpected.

Why do you cycle - It’s door-to-door service in the quickest, cheapest way - plus you can stop off if you spot something exciting. I love my London sightings AND I love escaping at the weekends for countryside adventures. There’s nothing better than a Summer spent flying through fields on two wheels with your best friends.

Tell us a little about yourself -My name is Magda and I do the marketing for 3rd Rail, a screen printing studio in Peckham/Bermondsey. Things I enjoy are inclusive of but not exclusive to: Worldwide FM, running, heated whatsapp debates, jazzy cycling jerseys, documentaries and all things art.

Why do you cycle - Practically it’s by far the easiest way to get from A to B in London. Aside from that cycling through the countryside with your friends and a belly full of pub food is one of the dreamiest situations life has to offer.

To me, nothing really compares to feeling immensely small in a giant landscape you became a part of aboard your bicycle.

As for cyclocross racing, I love it for its million different aspects. The loving and positive community, the skills and fitness that you can always work on and improve, the slight absurdity of the whole sport.